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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26977801">Confessions and Revelations</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/itzagoodthing/pseuds/Itsagoodthing'>Itsagoodthing (itzagoodthing)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Out of Space and Time [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mandalorian (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Baby Sign Language, Baby's got powers, Din Djarin's got ink, Din and Pari are rabbits, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Trigger warnings: mentions of murder and alcoholism, baby gets a name</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:28:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,030</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26977801</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/itzagoodthing/pseuds/Itsagoodthing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Din names the baby, Rherr is being Rherr again, heavy discussions, and a roll in the hay.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Din Djarin/Pari Strart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Out of Space and Time [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769332</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Confessions and Revelations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span class="u"> <em>Mando'a Transactions </em> </span> <em>(</em> <em>found at top and bottom of document):</em></p><p>
  <em>ad:  child (son)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>ad'ika: little one, son, daughter, of any age - also used informally to adults much like "lads" or "guys" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>aliit: family/clan</em>
</p><p>
  <em>alor: Tribe leader</em>
</p><p>
  <em>ba’vodu: uncle/aunt</em>
</p><p>
  <em>beroya: bounty hunter</em>
</p><p>
  <em>buir'e: parents</em>
</p><p>
  <em>buir: dad/mom</em>
</p><p>
  <em>beskar'gam: armor</em>
</p><p>
  <em>gal:  ale/beer</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elek: yes</em>
</p><p>
  <em>lek: yeah</em>
</p><p>
  <em>vod: brother/sister</em>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>Takes place hours after the last installment (Din’s meeting with Alor Zuwr)...</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Cutting up a piece of chicken breast Pari had baked, Din split his attention between what he was doing and the comprehensive list of baby names on the counter to his other side. Sun long ago set, the early darkness of a winter evening pressed against the kitchen windows behind him. Inside, the lights burned bright as he kept impatient little hands away from where he was slicing up the last of the meat. Din understood his impatience. They had just gotten in from a day spent on Base, making it a relatively late supper.</p><p>Knowing he had the appointment with the med center, then a little later, a meeting scheduled with the Tribe’s <em>alor, </em>Rherr had offered for them to hitch a ride with him that morning. Rherr would have his usual duties to fulfill that day, meaning they’d be stuck on Base until he finished for the day, and Din briefly considered taking the <em>Crest </em>so he could head home with his kid whenever they were ready. However, the more he had thought about it, the more practical it seemed for them all to take one ship.</p><p>With his income temporarily on hold, the prospect of saving fuel was what had ultimately won him over. Plus, considering his appointments would take up the morning, he knew they could easily pass a couple of hours afterward walking around, checking things out. </p><p>For the most part, that’s exactly how things had gone. With only a few hours left until they were supposed to go home, Din had taken his <em>ad</em> back to Rherr’s quarters to see if he could get him to nap. That had been the plan, but it backfired when he laid down with the baby to try and get him to settle and, <em>he’d</em> been the one to doze off while the kid sat beside him wide-eyed and chatty.</p><p>Drifting, he’d opened his eyes to the feeling of something pressing to his face. Gaze lowering to where the rumblings of his toddler were spoken flush against his cheek, he had slid his eyes closed again, grumbling, “What <em>are</em> you doing?”</p><p>His arm got smacked, and Din moved onto his back. Wiping the slobber from his cheek, he looked at the child.</p><p>
  <em>Hungry, buir.</em>
</p><p>“Yeah, okay. Let’s see what we’ve got to work with.”</p><p>In the <em> Insurgent, </em>when Rherr had offered them the use of his flat, he’d given Din the entry code along with a warning that there wouldn't be much in the way of food or drinks in there, but whatever he had was fair game.</p><p>Rherr’s exact words had been: <em>“If you can find it, you can have it.”</em></p><p>They had gone hunting, but it had been a challenge to find something the kid could have. The fridge had <em>gal</em>, mustard, a few hot pepper condiment packets, and something that looked like it could crawl across the floor on its own. In the end, Din had better luck in the cupboards where he found a package of jerky, some crackers, and a prepackaged cupcake that Din figured must have been leftover from the last time Sash had stayed over. Maybe.</p><p>Now, sitting on a stool at the large kitchen island back at Pari’s, Din talked with her brother as his kid did what Sash had called ‘the happy dance’ on the seat beside him. The girls had already eaten, but Pari had left supper out on the counter for them. That was where Rherr had temporarily camped out. </p><p>Standing at the counter by the stove, he was busy filling his plate as he asked, “Any ideas on what name you might choose?”</p><p>Pushing the plate in front of his kid, Din grabbed his own and looked back at the list, “Not a clue.”</p><p>Standing with his back to him, Rherr slapped a spoonful of potatoes onto his plate, “In the time you’ve had him, you haven’t thought at all about something you would name him?”</p><p>He just had this conversation with the <em>alor,</em> and Din took a second to watch Rherr before answering. The guy was looking between his plate and the pieces of chicken on a pan to his right. He settled on taking a second one, and Din replied, “I wasn’t sure if I would be able to adopt him.” Stabbing a green vegetable with his fork, he looked over to the stack of papers beside his plate, “Plus, I had more pressing things to consider.”</p><p>“Such as?”</p><p>Pausing to talk around the mouthful, Din flatly stated, “Keeping us alive.”</p><p>“Copy that.”</p><p>Plate in hand, Rherr opened the fridge and pulled out a brown bottle of <em>gal.</em> He raised it in question, and Din declined the offer. Grabbing one for himself, Rherr shut the stainless-durasteel door. He was passing the sink as he said, “Oh, I’ve got it.”</p><p>Entirely cautious of any suggestion coming from Pari’s brother, Din looked up, lifting his brows in a silent request to continue.</p><p>Setting down his plate cornerwise from him, Rherr grinned. “Din, Jr.”</p><p>“No.” His retort came automatically as he looked back down at the list.</p><p>The Mandalorian with white <em>beskar'gam</em> edged in orange chuckled softly as he pulled out the stool. Din ignored him, but damn it if the corner of his mouth didn’t curve upward despite himself.</p><p>Shoving a forkful in his mouth, Rherr leaned toward the list of names between them, looking at the list as he chewed.  Din already knew which one would catch his eye, and just waited for it. Sure enough, an interjection of muffled excitement came from the guy on his left, and Din shut him down.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Din, come on,” Rherr complained around his mouthful. Fork in hand, he pointed beside a name only down six from the top of the list.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“It’s perfect.” </p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Abeer. A—beer! It’s like... a sign.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“But...”</p><p>Din read the meaning beside the name, then looked at Rherr. “I am not naming my son after a <em>Strong, auspicious blue powder traditionally applied during the festival of</em> <em>monkeys.”</em></p><p>“But, Din. <em>Abeer.”</em> Becoming solemn, Rherr told him, <em>“Vod.</em> This is the Way.”</p><p>“This is absolutely not the Way.”</p><p>Grinning, Rherr turned back to his supper.</p><p>Din looked at the list, then glanced to his other side and watched his kid. Holding a piece of chicken in one hand and a miniature green tree in the other, he couldn’t have looked happier. Thinking to himself that it really was time to get his kid to start using a fork, Din looked back at the list.</p><p>He got no further than eight names lower when a crooked smirk overpowered him, and he shook his head, muttering, “Abeer...”</p><p>Rherr laughed, and Din looked over, “I fear for your future children.”</p><p>Reaching for his drink, Rherr asked, “So, you’d sit quietly by and say nothing as I named one of my kids Abeer?”</p><p>“No, I would not.”</p><p>Swallowing, Rherr set the glass bottle back on the counter, “Alright then. Worrying about the emotional wellbeing of my future offspring is unnecessary.”</p><p>Naming your children was serious business. The suggestion that Rherr would value his opinion on the matter, Din would be lying if he said that it hadn’t stirred a sense of brotherhood between him and the guy who wanted to name his kid after his favorite alcoholic beverage.</p>
<hr/><p>After supper, Din sat on the couch with his kid. The lamps gave the room a warm glow as the muted TV sat ignored. Focused on the babe, Din spoke with him, trying to explain why he was getting a name.</p><p>It wasn’t going well.</p><p>
  <em>I <span class="u">have</span> a name.</em>
</p><p>Din looked at his son, sighing at the response he’d gotten for a third time now. “No, <em>ad,</em> you have a nickname—a secondary name. You need to have a formal name.”</p><p>
  <em>Ad’ika.</em>
</p><p><em>“No.</em> That’s a nickname. It means little one. It’s not a proper name.”</p><p>
  <em>It’s <span class="u">my</span> name.</em>
</p><p>Din’s tone was flat, “You want your name to be Little One.”</p><p>
  <em>No, buir. Ad’ika. A D I—</em>
</p><p>“Don’t spell it out. I know what it—”</p><p>
  <em>—K A.</em>
</p><p>Rubbing his brow, Din sighed.</p><p>
  <em>I don’t <span class="u">want</span> a new name.</em>
</p><p>“Okay, calm down for a minute.” Din touched his tiny shoulder then took his hand between his thumb and forefinger. “We can keep <em>Ad’ika </em>as a nickname. I’ll still call you that. I promise, but we’ve got to pick a good name for you—”</p><p>
  <em>No.</em>
</p><p>“It’s important, <em>ad.</em> You heard the <em>alor—”</em></p><p><em> <span class="u">No</span> </em> <em>.</em></p><p>“—you <em>heard</em> him explain how there is power in a name. Right?”</p><p><em>No. I don’t care</em>.</p><p>
  <em>“Ad...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I don’t care, I don’t care—!</em>
</p><p>Din sat slightly stunned at the outburst as his kid jumped off the couch and ran down the hallway. A few seconds later, the light spilling out from Sash’s room got cut off as her bedroom door slammed shut.</p><p>Closing his eyes over a deep sigh, Din pushed himself off the couch and walked down the hall. Standing in front of the door, he could hear Sash on the other side.</p><p>
  <em>“Why are you mad?”  </em>
</p><p>Din knocked on the door.</p><p>There was some shuffling, and then Sash pulled it open. “Hey.”</p><p>“Hi.” Din looked past her to the kid sulking by the windows, “Come on, we’re not finished.”</p><p>
  <em>No.</em>
</p><p>Standing in the doorway, Din felt the muscle in his jaw tick. Sash stepped back, giving him an unobstructed path to his kid, and he tried one last time to reason with him.</p><p>“Now.”</p><p>
  <em>NO!</em>
</p><p>Din had enough time to take in the spectacle of every stuffed creature in Sash’s room migrating into a giant levitating conglomerate of colorful fluff right before it hurtled out of the room, bowling him over. He’d heard Sash hollering, “Addy, no!” But it was too late. He’d been knocked to the floor by a massive pile of stuffies.</p><p>The door slammed shut again.</p><p>Shoving his way out of the pile, Din looked up and found Rherr standing over him. Munching on something, he asked, “So, how’s it going?”</p><p>Din flung a pink varactyl off his chest, “Not well.” Pushing back to his feet, he approached the door again, “Sash...”</p><p>She opened the door, and Din found his kid on the far side of the room. He eased the door open wider. Taking a step into the room, Din leveled him with a look that said he was finished messing around. Beckoning the kid with an upturned crook of his finger, he spoke with quiet resolve. “Come here.”</p><p>Ears flattening along the back of his little green head, his kid looked over to Sash like she had any say in it.</p><p>Din let his voice dip into a tone he rarely used with his foundling as he ordered, “Now, <em>ad.”</em></p><p>Noticing how Rherr had vanished, Din watched his kid trudge past Sash, slowing to shoot her one last save-me glance. She gave him a small smile of solidarity as he kept walking, stepping out into the hallway with him. Din pulled the door closed and looked down at his kid. The babe was staring at his boots, and Din sighed, “Come on.”</p><p>Trusting the child to follow, Din walked through the living room, grabbing a heavy blanket on his way to the front door. Stepping out onto the front porch, he held the door open and looked down at the babe standing on the threshold, wringing his little hands.</p><p>Using a lighter tone, Din encouraged, “Well, come on…”</p><p>Ears perking back to half-mast, the child looked up at him, then followed him out onto the porch and over to the hanging bench swing. Din sat and then reached for him, “Sit with me?”</p><p>His kid seemed to sigh, and then he was grabbing his hand, holding on as Din pulled him into his lap. The babe crawled off to sit on the cushion, and Din tossed the blanket over them both. Angling himself toward his kid, he pushed off the snowy floor with his boot, setting the swing into gentle motion.</p><p>His son burrowed under the blanket, and Din asked, “What’s my name?” The babe looked up at him, cocking his head, and Din asked again, “Can you tell me my name?”</p><p>
  <em>Buir.</em>
</p><p>Okay, that was fair, thought Din. He nodded, “Yes, but what’s my other name? What have you heard Pari, Sash, and Rherr call me?”</p><p>There was a slight hesitation, then his son formed the letter D and tapped it above his heart.</p><p>
  <em>Din.</em>
</p><p>“That’s right. That’s my name. My formal name.” Keeping the swing in motion, he reached under the blanket to rub the bottom of his son’s foot, “Have you heard them call me by other names?”</p><p>
  <em>Yes.</em>
</p><p>“Tell me.”</p><p>The babe formed the letter R and tapped it over his heart, <em>Rherr calls you vod.</em></p><p>Din nodded.</p><p><em>And... I heard Pari call you ... </em>his little face scrunched a little, <em>b a b e?</em></p><p>A smirk pulled at one corner of Din’s mouth, “Yes, that’s right. Do Pari, Sash, and Rherr get called by other names as well?”</p><p>
  <em>Yes.</em>
</p><p>“Tell me.”</p><p>
  <em>... Pari sometimes calls us all: love.</em>
</p><p>Din nodded.</p><p>
  <em>Sash calls Rherr ba’vodu.</em>
</p><p>Din nodded again, “That’s right.”</p><p>Hands frozen in the air, his foundling hesitated.</p><p><em>Sometimes Pari calls Rherr something different. </em>His big brown eyes had been staring at the dark, snowy landscape as he thought. Now, they skipped up to meet him.</p><p>
  <em>But I’m not supposed to say that word.</em>
</p><p>Hiding his grin, Din pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, you’re right. You can’t say that word.”</p><p>Smiling still, he looked back down to his son. “Okay, so: <em>vod</em>, babe, love, <em>ba’vodu</em>, and... that <em>other</em> word. Those are all nicknames. Those are names that are just for us. For our <em>aliit</em>—our family. They aren’t names others would use when talking with us. But: Pari, Sash, Rherr... Din, those are our formal names that everyone else calls us by.”</p><p>He smoothed a hand over the fine hairs on his son’s head, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”</p><p>
  <em>Yes, buir.</em>
</p><p>“Usually... when you have a child, you give them a formal name first, and then the second name—the nicknames—they come later. With you...” he stroked the inside of the babe’s ear. “When I found you, I didn’t know your name. I... don’t know if you had one, and I started calling you by a couple of nicknames without giving you a formal name first.”</p><p>
  <em>Why?</em>
</p><p>Looking at his son, Din drew in a deep breath. How was he going to explain this? Taking a moment to look over the same snow-covered grounds, he felt the pull in his chest over how things happened for them in the very beginning. His mind wandered through his guilt from turning the child in and later the fear of losing him, not only to Greef and the other hunters, but later when he was dying, and even past that to the pain he felt when he was told to deliver the kid to his own kind.</p><p>The blanket shifted, and Din looked down as his kid crawled into his lap. Looking up at him with those soulful eyes, he signed, <em>You’re sad.</em></p><p>Din pulled the blanket over his shoulders, then landed his hand over top. “I’m just thinking.”</p><p>
  <em>About sad things. Why?</em>
</p><p>Sidestepping his last question, Din rubbed between the babe’s shoulders and went back to the other one, “I didn’t give you a formal name when I first found you because I didn’t know... I didn’t know who you belonged to.”</p><p>
  <em>You, buir. I’m yours.</em>
</p><p>Din’s throat choked with emotion. Smiling down at the child, he nodded, “Yes. You’re mine. But, when we first met, you weren’t...” skipping over the part of being hired by Imps to find him, Din explained, “I didn’t know about your first family. I didn’t know who you belonged to, and I didn’t know if you already had a name.”</p><p>The swing stopped, and Din asked, “I couldn’t just give you a name if you already had one. Right?”</p><p>Large brown eyes blinked up at him as the child slowly nodded.</p><p>Pushing off the porch again, Din said, “All I had to call you by were a couple of nicknames.” He looked at his son, “I can keep calling you <em>Ad’ika—”</em></p><p>
  <em>And womp rat.</em>
</p><p>Din grinned, “Yes, and womp rat. I’ll keep calling you those, but you also need a formal name. It’s time to give you a formal name, <em>ad, </em>one that reflects who you are—” he touched a finger to the boy’s chest, “—in here.” His son’s little hand closed around his finger, and Din stroked his thumb over it, “—and who you will grow up to be. It’s an important job for a <em>buir </em>to choose the right name for his children.”</p><p>Holding his hand as the swing rocked back and forth, the babe looked up at him, <em>Promise to keep calling me Ad’ika?</em></p><p>Din nodded, “I promise.”</p><p>The child looked up at him for a quiet moment. Then the barn door moaned on its track as Pari pushed it open. His kid watched her, calling to her and waving as she looked up at them. Throwing a smile their way, she waved back before sliding the door shut again.</p><p>Pulling her coat around herself, snow crunched under her boots as she started for the house, and the babe turned to look back at him. <em>Okay, buir.</em></p><p>“Okay?”</p><p>
  <em>Yes.</em>
</p><p>Din nodded, “Do you understand what I’m telling you… why I need to give you a proper name?”</p><p>
  <em>Yes.</em>
</p><p>Pari was starting up the steps to the porch, and his foundling asked, <em>Can I help you pick one out?</em></p><p>Smiling, Din rubbed his thumb over the little claw still wrapped around his finger. “That seems fair.”</p><p>The babe smiled, then jumped up, and his arms latched around his neck. Din settled his hand over his little back as the babe leaned away, signing in the cramped space between them.</p><p>
  <em>I want something strong. Like you.</em>
</p><p>Heart swelling within his chest, Din just smiled as he touched his forehead to the baby’s brow. The gate at the top of the steps latched behind Pari as she crossed the large porch and came to stand in front of them.</p><p>“Is this a boys-only meeting, or can anyone join?”</p><p>Din pulled back the blanket from the other end of the swing in an offer to sit, and she took him up on it. His kid launched off his lap to jump at her.</p><p>Wrapping her arms around his <em>ad</em>, Pari shoved her face into the crook of his neck, shaking her head as she blew a loud raspberry against his skin. Squealing, his little hands patted her cheeks, as a ripe belly laugh rolled out of him. </p><p>Pari came up for air, and the child retaliated. Pari sniggered as she held him with one arm and pulled the blanket over them with the other. He pulled away from her neck, and she told him, “Hey, you’re getting good at that.”</p><p>He preened up at her, as she wiped at the spit on the side of her neck, “In fact, you should give Rherr one the next time you see him. A big, wet, rip-snorter of one.”</p><p>
  <em>Really?</em>
</p><p>“Oh, yes. He’d <em>love it.”</em> Pari tipped her head back as she emphasized those last two words, and Din picked up the fact that she was absolutely setting her brother up—and she was using his kid to do it.</p><p>Din smirked. Rherr was the one to teach his son the move. It was fitting that he should suffer the consequences of his actions.</p><p>
  <em>Buir’s giving me a name!</em>
</p><p>Slightly thrown by the turn in their conversation, Pari glanced at Din, then back to his foundling. Catching up quickly, she asked, “He is? Well, you know, that’s pretty exciting stuff!”</p><p>
  <em>Yes, and he said I could help pick it out!</em>
</p><p>Pari grinned, “You are <em>so</em> lucky! Usually, we don’t get to have a say in what our name will be. But you—” she touched the tip of his nose, “—you get to help pick it out? Man, I wish I could have helped my <em>buir’e </em>pick out my name.”</p><p>The babe’s little head cocked up at her, <em>But I like Pari. It’s a good name.</em></p><p>“Well, thank you. I guess you’re right. I guess I got lucky—not having a say in it and all. But <em>you...”</em>  she drew in a deep breath, “Oh, it’s so exciting to think that you’ll be helping <em>buir</em> to pick out a name. I can’t wait to see what you two come up with.”</p><p>
  <em>You can help too, if you want.</em>
</p><p>“Oh.” Her gaze flicked from his son to him, then back again, “Oh, thank you, love, but that’s something pretty special for you and your <em>buir</em> to decide on together.” Din watched his son’s face fall a little, and Pari rushed to add, “I’ll tell you what though. I promise to say something if I think he starts considering something awful. Like...”</p><p>Din muttered, “Abeer.”</p><p>Pari’s gaze shot to him, her face pinching with confusion, “What?”</p><p>“Nothing. I’ll tell you later.”</p><p>Giving him an uncertain nod, she looked back down at his foundling, “Okay? No silly names for you under my watch. How’s that?”</p><p>His kid leaped up and threw his arms around Pari’s neck again. Din watched her eyes slid shut over a warm smile as she held him close. Looking at him from over the baby’s head, her smile grew just a little bit.</p><p>The rip of another raspberry sounded, and Pari scrunched her shoulder toward her ear as she laughed, trying to disengage his kid from her neck.  </p>
<hr/><p>A week went by and Din had his last checkup with the med center. Declared officially healed, he was set up with a time to come back and take the entry physical required of anyone looking to join the Fighting Corps. In the meantime, he’d begun the assessments the <em>alor </em>had told him would be necessary if he wanted to keep the rank of corporal from his old Tribe.</p><p>The assessments consisted of written exams, live-combat simulations, and an in-person discussion with Rherr’s CO, Captain Thiam Vuus.</p><p>With one of the written tests under his belt, Din had been pleased with how the meeting with the captain had gone. The man had come across as fairly laid back as they discussed Din’s previous duties in his old galaxy. They had talked about the mechanics of leading a squad before Vuus started picking his brain over strategic tactics and scenarios. </p><p>Throughout it all, the meeting flowed like a casual discussion. It didn’t feel like he was being graded on his responses,  though Din knew he was. Even after the Purge had wiped out any sort of military system for the Mandalorians almost a decade ago, it still had all come back to him as he spoke with the captain. Nearly ninety minutes later, Din had felt confident as Vuus brought their meeting to a close. Standing from behind his desk, he’d offered Din his hand. Accepting it, the read Din had gotten off the man was that he was equally as pleased.</p><p>Aside from the business he had on Base as he started slipping into his role within this Tribe, Din had spent most of his free time over the last week with his son. He’d lost count of how many lists and holosites they used looking over names and their corresponding meanings. Eventually, they had it narrowed down to a handful of names—a couple of days after that, just three. Then, finally, almost two weeks after they had started, Din and his foundling had settled on a name.</p><p>Later that night, after the kids had gone to bed, Din figured he would tell Pari.</p><p>Waiting for her in the living room, Din looked at the white piled against the sides of the window. It was snowing again. Only halfway through the dead season, the driving winds howled as they pushed against the house. Large, determined snowflakes flew by on wind speeds that nearly classified the storm as a blizzard.</p><p>Caked in wet snow, Pari had blown back into the house a little while ago. Her cheeks rosy from the cold, she’d been covered in white by the time she finished checking on the animals under her care. Shedding layers and kicking off her boots on the large mat by the door, she had declared it “awful out there,” and Din had taken her word for it.</p><p>It certainly looked awful. Inside, the house was warm as it sheltered them from the storm. Bent over in front of the fireplace, he adjusted the burning logs as Pari had returned from defrosting under a hot shower. Glancing at her as she emerged from the dark hallway, Din asked, “Want me to knock down the fire, or throw on another few pieces?”</p><p>“More, please. I’m only partially thawed,” Pari had tossed him a grin as she spoke, turning off the lights. The thick blanket they’d shared with his kid out on the porch swing was spread out on the floor by the fireplace as he selected a few pieces of split wood and set them on the rack.</p><p>Pari threw <em>all</em> the throw pillows down with the blanket.</p><p>Brushing off his hands, Din turned, finding her sitting in the nest she’d made, patting the space beside her. Stepping onto the blanket, Din sat so he could lean back against the side of the couch before Pari moved in, settling herself between his legs. She pulled the throw over them both. With her back against his chest, her head fell back to rest against his shoulder as silence settled around them.</p><p>Looking into the fireplace, Din was content to sit in the quiet with her. He slipped an arm around her middle, and her hand moved almost absent-mindedly to settle over it. Between Pari, the fire, and her fluffy nest, Din felt surrounded by warmth while the north winds battered against the house.</p><p>In the fireplace, flames flickered, throwing elongated shadows that danced in the orange glow of the room. The quietness stretched further into their space as Pari’s fingertips rubbed over his arm with lazy strokes, relaxing him into a state of calm he was still figuring out how to process.</p><p>A pocket of water vapor in one of the logs overgrew its confines and went off with a sharp pop, and Pari jumped in his arms.</p><p>Din grinned as he looked down at her.</p><p>Smiling back at him, a sheepish look settled over her as she admitted, “Startled me.”</p><p>His grin spread, “Apparently.” Wrapping both arms around her, he spoke by her ear, “So, we decided on a name.”</p><p>Turning to look at him, she smiled wide, “You did?” He nodded, and she asked, “Which one?”</p><p>“Kayumi.”</p><p>“Oh, I liked that one. What does it mean?”</p><p>“Beautiful song.”</p><p>Endearment shone in Pari’s smile as he told her, “He was quickly sold on it, because of the song that I hum to him when he’s upset...” Looking at her, he wondered if she’d heard him over the past weeks.</p><p>Pari nodded, and he continued, “That song, it’s a memory from when I was very young. It came back to me after I took him in, and I figured, if he had become a beautiful song in my life, he was sure to have the same effect on most anyone else.”</p><p>Pari was just sitting there staring at him, and Din gave her a side glance. “What?”</p><p>“Nothing, just...” He watched her brow pull together as she looked at him, “You have lovely thoughts. You know that?”</p><p>“Um…” Giving her a crooked smirk, he turned back to the fire, “Thanks.”</p><p>Patting his leg, she pushed off him, crawling on all fours to grab a big piece of wood and throw it on top of the pile. She was starting to settle back against him again when he placed his hands on her sides, stopping her.</p><p>Craning her head around, she just watched as he pushed up the back of her sleep shirt. Sweeping her hair to the side, Din stroked his thumb over the pink birthmark on the back of her shoulder.</p><p>“You want to know what this looks like?” Having her nestled between his legs felt good, and he pressed his lips to the mark.</p><p>Pari’s hands landed over his knees as she hummed, “...tell me.”</p><p>Kissing the smooth spot colored like a ripe, red berry, Din smiled against her back, “A perpetual love bite.”</p><p>Pari turned her head, looking over her shoulder at him, “Are you saying I look like I’m walking around with a hickey?”</p><p>Smiling, he drew her against himself and kissed the side of her neck, “I should give you one on your other shoulder—even things out for you.”</p><p>Pulling away, she turned to face him again. “You know, I’m not the only one of us with a mark on the back of my shoulder.”</p><p>“This is true,” admitted Din as he pushed her shirt up and over her head. Letting it puddle to the floor beside him, he allowed her to return the favor, then pulled the blanket up over her shoulders as her gaze lowered to his bicep.</p><p>He watched her fingertips skim along the black ink circling his upper arm before dragging over to land over the tattoo on the left side of his chest. A few others adorned his upper body, including the mark on the back of his shoulder she had mentioned.</p><p>“Some of yours, the style of them, I’ve never seen anything like it.” Stroking her thumb over the design on his chest, she looked up at him, “Over here, in this dimension, the tattoos that the Mandos get, they have symbolism to them. Some reflect accomplishments; others have a story behind them.” Her hazel eyes were dark in the dim glow of the room as she looked at him, “Is the same true with yours?”</p><p>Din slid his hand through the hair at the base of her head, “Yes.”  </p><p>Scooting closer, Pari pulled on his leg until his thigh draped over hers. “Will you tell me what yours mean?”  </p><p>Leaning forward, he brushed the tip of his nose against hers. “Yes.”</p><p>She smiled, “Where do you want to start?”</p><p>Din smiled back. “Choose one.”</p><p>Her fingertips touched the black tattoo that circled his bicep, “This one.”</p><p>“It’s a tribal tattoo.”</p><p>“It looks like a blend of script lettering and barbed razor wire, deadly and elegant.” Her eyes flicked up to him with a feisty grin, “It suits you.”</p><p>“I have not been elegant a day in my life.”</p><p>“So, you admit that you’re deadly.”</p><p>He didn’t try to deny it. “Got to be good at something.”</p><p>Rising to her knees, Pari draped her arms around his shoulders. He looked up at her as she asked, “Is that a spot of sass I detect, Djarin?”</p><p>Smirking, Din shook his head, “Confidence.”</p><p>“Hm...” leaning down, she took his face in her hands as she kissed him. Din squeezed her arms as his eyes fell shut.</p><p>Pari drew her lips against his mouth a couple of times before she pulled back to look at him. “Either way, you’re good because I’m attracted to both.” Leaning in again, she nipped her way along his jawline to suck at the tender flesh behind his ear. Din’s hands splayed across her back, gripping, as she drew a quiet grunt from him.</p><p>She directed her attention a little south, where she kissed the small tattoo situated low on the side of his neck. “What’s this one about?”</p><p>“My first kill.”</p><p>She pulled back. “You said you swore into the creed when you were thirteen.”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“You made your first kill at thir<em>teen?”</em></p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"Maker, Din."</p><p>She looked stricken, and a soft laugh pulled from him as he reached for her, "Pari, it was an animal."</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Sliding his hands up and down her arms, he repeated, “My first kill—it was an animal.”</p><p>“Oh.” Then, “Really?”</p><p>A little color returned to her cheeks, and Din wrapped his arms around her back. Her full breasts pressed against his chest, and he told her, “Yes. The Mandalorians of my old Tribe used hunting to introduce the young ones to taking a life. It was part of a process to ease the kids into the warrior mindset of conquering. It also taught them to learn to contribute to the community by providing food for the Tribe.”</p><p>She was looking at the mark on his neck as he explained, “By making sure the animal didn’t go to waste, it also tied in with what they taught the kids about what constituted a noble kill. Putting on the helm and making your first kill was a coming of age rite, and the Tribe symbolized this first step with a small tattoo.”</p><p>“Were they all the same—the tattoos given for the first kill?”</p><p>“No. It depended on the animal you took down.” Her thumb smoothed over the spot on his neck and Din visualized the spear-shaped tail curling around the face of a saber-toothed feline.</p><p>“Mine was a razor-tailed tiger.”</p><p>“So...” Scooting closer, Pari looked up at him, “So, how is this different from your signet? They were both earned after you took down a beast. Right?”</p><p>“Yes and no. The mudhorn signet, that’s...” Din looked at the fire as he decided how he wanted to explain it.</p><p>Turning back to Pari, he said, “After you’ve made your way within the Tribe, you receive your signet by going through a trial that earns you the right to split off from the collective identity of the Tribe into something unique—your own clan.”</p><p>Looking away, Din stared into the fire again, uttering the words, “I turned it down at first.”</p><p>“Your signet?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>He guessed the unrest cutting through his heart showed on his face because her hand came down over his bare shoulder. Rubbing her thumb over it, her tone softened, “Why?”</p><p>Staring at the glowing coals, he almost told her. He almost told Pari his greatest sin. However, after another moment, he decided he couldn’t. Not yet.</p><p>Looking back at her, he found her studying him. Then, gripping his shoulders, she used him for leverage as she moved into his lap. The easy smile she gave him said that she was changing the topic, and he was grateful. She brushed at the unruly half-curls at the top of his ear. “Can I ask a personal question?”</p><p>Din felt shaken still from the truth he almost spilled, but at the same time, he trusted her. If he didn’t want to answer, just like with the signet question, he knew she wouldn’t press. So, taking a breath, he drew the blanket over her again, “Sure.”</p><p>“Had you taken a life before that day—hunting or otherwise?”</p><p>Din let his hands come to rest over her hips as he told her, “No.”</p><p>“Was it hard to squeeze the trigger the first time?”</p><p>“Not... no. I mean...” Trailing off, Din sighed at the difficulty he was having at choosing the right words. He thought for a moment. Looking back at her, he began again. “The Mandalorians... I lost my family when I was young, and they took me in. Raised me. I wanted to pay back their generosity by being committed to the cause and whatever it took to get me there.”</p><p>She smiled at him, “Then, I bet you were proud when you dropped that tiger.”</p><p>He nodded, “I was.”</p><p>“Are you still?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>Smile growing into something that might have carried a touch of admiration, Pari simply hummed again as she moved on to the next tattoo. “Tell me about this one?”</p><p>He looked down at the design that adorned the skin covering his pectoral muscle. The sharp edges of it bled outward, clipping the front of his shoulder. Thick and thin black lines swirled over each other, rising and falling throughout with sharp points. “That’s a unit tattoo, from before the Purge.”</p><p>“Did everyone in the unit get one?”</p><p>Din nodded, “After a time, yes.”</p><p>Grabbing a couple of the pillows, Pari slid off his lap to lay down on the floor, bringing him with her. The fire crackled behind them as he watched her move in close to him. Dipping down, he pressed his lips against hers as she wrapped an arm over him. Fingertips stroking over the tattoo that started this little Q &amp; A session, Pari kissed him again then asked, “And, what about this one? What’s the reason behind this one?”</p><p>“That one...” Din slipped a section of hair behind her ear, “...was for bravery in combat.”</p><p>Pari pulled the blanket up, covering them, “Tell me how you got it?”</p><p>Cupping his hand under her breast, Din held the fullness of it in his hand as he explained.</p><p>“We were pinned down. Our reinforcement line got cut off, and we were getting overrun. The call was made to fall back and regroup our forces. A few of us were dragging our wounded off the battlefield when my leg caught shrapnel from an artillery fragment. It knocked me down, but I was able to get back up and make a few more runs carrying out our <em>vode </em>before the leg quit on me and kept me down.”</p><p>Looking at him, her fingertips stroked over the back of his shoulder, “How long ago was that?”</p><p>“Uh,” Din considered her question for a second, “Close to ten years by now.”</p><p>“Did you choose the location for the tattoo, or...”</p><p>“No, it was common practice for a citation of valor to be placed on the back.”</p><p>Looking at him, she asked, “Why?”</p><p>“Because a warrior doesn’t need to be reminded of his strength.”</p><p>“Hm...that’s pretty deep.”</p><p>“This is the Way.”</p><p>Eyes shooting to the ceiling, she smiled, “I kriffing <em>knew</em> that was coming.” Din cracked a grin, and she faced him again, asking, “The injury, was it bad?”</p><p>He gave her a lazy shrug, “Bad enough to take me off active duty for a few weeks, but not too bad.”</p><p>Her expression of concern slid straight into a dubious frown. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re severely downplaying it?”</p><p>Cracking a lopsided grin, Din moved to take her breast into his mouth. Her hand landed on the side of his face as the one on the back of his shoulder tugged him closer. Breathing out a soft exhale, she groaned, “You’re trying to change the subject.”</p><p>Smiling around the tender tissue of her breast, he sucked hard and felt himself stir at the sound of her gasp. Pulling off, he kissed her nipple and raised his eyes to her, “Is it working?”</p><p>Capturing his face in both her hands, she pulled him up and kissed him. Grinning, she laughed, “Yes.”</p><p>A soft chuckle rose from him as he wrapped her in his arms, drawing her close. Looking down, Pari touched a finger to a small group of black marks etched into the inside of the bicep without the tribal band.</p><p>“What about these?” She looked up at him, “What do these stand for?”</p><p>Din swallowed as he stared at the neat cluster of tattoos. A part of him was afraid to tell her, fearful of what she’d think of him. Remarkably, a larger piece of him <em>wanted</em> to tell her.</p><p>Talking to Pari came easily for him, and the thought of being able to confess one of his worst sins, to tell someone the meaning behind the reminder he sees almost every day—a part of him ached to reveal the secret he’d carried around with him for years. He hadn’t been able to tell her the reason why he’d turned down the mudhorn signet. This though, he could get through telling her this. He could tell her how he’d used a part of his body to permanently remind himself of his actions, and the ghosts that followed him around every day since.</p><p>Din hadn’t looked back at her. He was trying to figure out how to start when her hands closed around his. “You don’t have to tell me.”</p><p>He thought about the few times he had brought up his past since he’s been with Pari. She could have dug deeper by asking questions about any of it, and she never did. A few minutes ago, when they discussed his signet, she hadn’t pushed then either. She never did.</p><p>Lifting their joined hands, he took at the contrast of her skin tone against his. His thumbs slid over the knuckles of her fingers, and then he began.</p><p>“You’ve heard me talk about the Great Purge.” She nodded. A log in the fire behind him popped and he took a breath, “For me, that was seven years ago. The fighting went on for just over a year. That’s all it took for the Empire to decimate Mandalore. A little more than a year, and the number of people we lost...”</p><p>Pari squeezed his hands, and he looked at her, “It was a massacre.”</p><p>He almost expected her to apologize or sympathize with him, but she simply rested her hand on the back of his jaw and waited.</p><p><em>It was easy to talk to Pari,</em> Din told himself again. <em>She made it easy.</em></p><p>Her fingers rubbed along the back of his neck, and he looked down at their hands as he continued, “I lost a lot of people close to me. For the second time in my life, almost everyone that meant anything to me had been destroyed.” He drew in a breath, “And, I got... I got mad. I let my grief and anger take over. I abandoned the ones we still had left by walking out on my Tribe. I went looking for trouble, and I found it—hooked up with this crew of mercenaries, and the things we did, there was no good in any of it.”</p><p>Din’s gaze lifted to hers, “I’d lost my way. I allowed myself to fall further from the Way I was brought up to follow, the lessons I was taught about noble kills... I wasn’t honoring any of that. I was just mad. Every single minute of every day, I was mad.”</p><p>Looking into her eyes, he found compassion and Din looked down again as he confessed, “I ... made a lot of kills while I ran with this group of mercs. I saw the ones that had taken everything from me in the eyes of the ones I murdered... and it felt good. I couldn’t stop, I didn’t <em>want </em>to stop, and I started keeping track of my kill count.”</p><p>He glanced at the cluster of small tattoos on the inside of his left bicep. “Those are Mandalorian digits, a tally of perfect kills.”</p><p>If she was disgusted with him, she didn’t show it. She simply ran a fingertip over the only one without a slash through it. “Will you tell me how many?”</p><p>He still wasn’t looking at her. He couldn’t, not if he was going to get this out. Closing his eyes, he had to swallow first; his answer still came out on a hoarse whisper, <em>“Ninety-three.”</em></p><p>Din didn’t reiterate that number only reflected his perfect kills. There was no need to explain it didn’t factor in all the others. She would have already put that together. So, to fill the thick silence, he spoke low as he said the only thing that came to mind.</p><p>“I’m not proud of those tattoos.”</p><p>Brushing her fingertips over his hairline, Pari ducked down to look at him, “You could have them removed if you wanted.”</p><p>Din raised his gaze to look at her. He could feel the pinch of his brow as it gathered under a load of confusion. He just got done telling her he murdered people for target practice. The marks on his arm were a macabre cluster of self-inflicted trophies... and the only thing she had to say about it was to give him the option of having them removed. It was like she was giving him the opportunity of removing himself from his past, and he shook his head.</p><p>“No. Those tally marks, they’re a reminder of how I let grief and anger darken my soul. I keep them so that I never let myself go back there. I keep them, so I don’t forget.”</p><p>A quiet settled between them. The fire crackled as Riley snored from somewhere behind him. Din didn’t have to look to know the dog had his head on the hearth, soaking up the heat from the dying fire. He was considering getting up to put on another piece when Pari spoke up.</p><p>“You know...” Pari searched out his gaze. “You’re not the only one here that has regrets they hold on to.”</p><p>His eyes raised to her, and her voice was soft as she admitted, “I know what grief and anger can do to a person, how the pain can drive in a wedge, separating you from the ones you love. I have my own chunk of time where I let those feelings darken my soul.”</p><p>Blinking, she lowered her gaze to stare at his chest. Fixing on the lines of black marking his skin, a faraway look settled into her eyes as she said, “After Junn died, I kind of went off the deep end a little bit. The pain of losing him...” her eyes darted back up, “Does hearing this... is it weird for you?”</p><p>Din shook his head. “No, it’s not weird.”</p><p>“I don’t want to make things weird.” Her face twisted into a grimace, and Din told her, “You lost part of yourself, Pari. Talking about how much that hurt doesn’t make anything weird.”</p><p>Her eyes searched over his face for a moment, then dropped back to his chest, and Din had the thought of how hard it was to look someone in the eye while confessing sins. He’d avoided her eyes, and now she was doing the same as she started again.</p><p>“The pain of it,” she chewed on the inside of her cheek for a second. “It stuck with me every second, every breath hurt. My heart felt like it was shattered. The pain of it,” she shook her head. “Stars, it hurt so bad. I couldn’t do anything about it. Every day, it was right there in my face, and I...”</p><p>She looked at him then. Her eyes bright, she told him, “I couldn’t breathe. Even breathing hurt, you know?”</p><p>Din stroked his thumb along her shoulder, “Yes. I know.”</p><p>Pari sucked in a deep breath, “Yeah. So, it just hurt, all the time. And I got to a point where I was tired of not breathing, and I looked for a way to numb the pain, just to be able to breathe again. I found having a drink did the trick nicely. I mean, in a way it just made me feel worse, but at the same time, I was numb. It’s an odd sensation—difficult to explain, but I just needed to take the edge off.”</p><p>Din watched as that distant look settled into her eyes again. Staring hard at his chest, she laid her palm over his heart.  “Pretty soon, taking the edge off wasn’t good enough. I could still feel, and I didn’t want to feel. It <em>hurt </em>too much and before I could stop myself, my casual coping mechanism turned into a fairly significant drinking problem.”</p><p>Her gaze skipped back up to him, fierce hazel eyes latching onto his, “Not around Sash, though. Never around her.”</p><p>Gaze dropping back down, her shoulder lifted with a halfhearted shrug, “That doesn’t make it any less awful. It was still affecting the kind of mom I was—no Mom of The Year award that year.” She’d tried to joke, but even in the way the corner of her mouth ticked upward, Din could see the regret in the pull of her brow.</p><p>He tightened the grip he had on her arm, and Pari sighed. “It all came to a head one, horrendously, stupid night. Rherr was over, and I told him I was going to run to the store. The store I went to was actually a bar two towns over where I lost track of time as I got drunk—and then got into my car. Ten miles later, I got pulled over. I was arrested for driving under the influence. My car was impounded and I went to jail. I posted bail, but had to call Rherr to pick me up.”  </p><p>Breathing in deeply, she pillowed her head on her arm and angled back to look at him, “The poor guy, he’d been assigned to the Base that night. He was supposed to head back there three hours after I supposedly left for the store. He ended up having to call his captain and explain that he couldn’t show up as scheduled because he was home with his five-year-old <em>vodu’ad </em>and her mom had gone AWOL. I was at a bar getting shitfaced, and Rherr was home with my kid, internally imploding while trying to remain cool on the outside so Sash didn’t freak over how long I’d been gone.”</p><p>Pari chewed on the inside of her cheek again as she stared past him, into the fire. “Sometime later, Rherr told me he was contacting hospitals when a call came in from the police department.”</p><p>She shot him a flat look, “Me. Five hours after leaving to run to the store, I was calling him, asking him to come pick me up from jail.”</p><p>Din watched her flop onto her back. Pulling up the blanket, she shook her head as she watched the moving shadows on the ceiling, <em>“Stars,</em> I was so embarrassed.”</p><p>Her eyes slid shut, then she shook her head, “Rherr had to bring Sash with him to get me; I felt like such a shitty mom, and he was <em>mad.”</em></p><p>Pari turned back toward him, “Maker, Din, he was so... <em>so</em> mad. He wouldn’t even look at me, but I could see it. He was fucking livid—and he had every right to be. We got back to the house, and he told me to wait for him in the barn while he went inside to put Sash to bed. He left Riley inside, flipped on the baby monitor and locked the doors, then came out to the barn.”</p><p>Rolling onto her side again, she told him, “I was sitting in my office, still a little drunk, but functional by that point. Rherr walked in and just stood there looking at me for a minute. Then, he asked me what happened. It was fucking obvious, but he was still willing to give me the benefit of the doubt and I told him the truth... and then he fucking laid into me.”</p><p>Folding both arms under her head, Park looked down at the blanket and shrugged, “He just told it like it was, saying,  I wasn’t the only one who was hurting after losing Junn. He told me I had a kid looking to me to figure out how to get through losing her dad. He pointed out the slack he’d been trying to pick up for me...”</p><p>Pari’s eyes dragged up to look at him again, insisting. “Rherr doesn’t raise his voice with me. He never had, never lost his cool. But that night...” Her eyes dropped back to stare at the blanket again.” That night, he looked at me and fucking exploded, asking when <em>he</em> become the dependable parent, telling me he loved Sash like his own daughter, but she wasn’t his. She was mine and Junn’s, and never in a million fucking years would his brother think that he couldn’t trust me to be there for his little girl.”</p><p>Having to choke out that last bit, Pari swiped at the tears rolling down her face. She huffed with a humorless grin, “We were both bawling. It was a terrible night. Aside from losing Junn, it was my worst night. It even trumps losing my dad. I was so embarrassed—fucking mortified. I couldn’t look Rherr in the eye for weeks. I felt like the shittiest mom.” Looking down, she gave him another shrug, “I kind of was.”</p><p>Din was quiet as she stared at the wall behind the couch for a little while. Another tear spilled down the side of her face, and he brushed it away. Pari looked at him, “That was the last time I drank. I’ll never lose the shame over the shitty decisions I made during that time. The selfishness I got wrapped up in and how it affected my family...”</p><p>Moving closer, Din propped himself on an elbow, looking down at her, “It was a terrible habit that you picked up during a desperate time. You realized how it was affecting the people around you, and you laid it aside. That takes strength, Pari.”</p><p>She gave him a wobbly, half-smile, “So does keeping a reminder etched into your skin, keeping you from backsliding into using anger as a coping mechanism.”</p><p>The fire crackled in the silence that settled between them.</p><p>Rolling toward him again, Pari touched his cheek and offered, “Tell you what: You don’t judge my grief, and I won’t judge yours.” </p><p>Overwhelmed by a sense of acceptance and...was it love he was picking up from her? Din wasn’t entirely sure. Though, he was sure of one thing—he was in deep, and he couldn’t avoid admitting it anymore. The feelings he had for her were entirely new for him and slightly terrifying with how strongly they affected him.</p><p>Din didn’t know how to put into words how she made him feel without sounding ridiculous. He wanted to though, to tell her something that could convey how she made him feel alive and complete. So, he told her the only way he knew how.</p><p>Looking at her, Din laid his forehead against hers, whispering, <em>“Ner runi.”</em></p><p>She smiled brightly at him. “That sounds pretty. What does it mean?”</p><p>The words got stuck in his throat, part of him afraid to speak them out loud. He felt suddenly fearful of her reaction, worried that he’d read everything wrong. But then he looked in her eyes, reminding himself he knew how to read others.  </p><p>His job—his life had depended on being able to read someone. He could take one look at someone and know if they were a threat, if they were going to bolt or come at him. No matter how his nerves tried to explain it away, based on the look he saw in Pari’s eyes, he would bet the <em>Crest</em> on the fact that she felt it too. The feeling of freefalling into something so deep they ran the risk of never finding their way back out.</p><p>Maybe that was the whole point.</p><p>So, looking at her, Din took the point of her chin between his fingers and told her, <em>“Ner runi—</em>my soul.”</p><p>His words hit her like a bucket of ice water, and for one terrifying second, he was afraid that he’d somehow terribly misread the situation. Which would be really saying something because Pari wasn’t a challenging read. She wore her feelings on her sleeve, and Din always felt like he knew where he stood with her. But the way her face went slack with—<em>what was that?</em>  Shock, wonder, astonishment... dread? He couldn’t tell.</p><p>The one time he couldn’t read her was the exact time he needed to and his brain sounded the alarm, shouting for damage control maneuvers. Then, that second passed, and the blank expression slid away. What settled in its place confirmed that he’d been right all along.</p><p>The way her full smile grew until it overtook her face, the misty shine in her eyes, he got the impression he’d spoken a common truth between them.</p><p>Moving closer, her smile of endearment settled into something more animated. Arm slipping over his waist, she kissed him. Then, she had the nerve to feign innocence, playing dumb while sweetly asking, “What about your soul?”</p><p>Sliding his hand up her side, he gripped the back of her neck, drawing her to him and looking into her eyes as he told her, “In a way, it’s everyone. The <em>aliit</em>, but especially you, Pari, you’re my soul.”</p><p>The playfulness dissipated as she beamed up at him. “Yeah?”</p><p>Squeezing the sides of her neck in his hand, he felt more confident as he murmured, <em>“Elek, ner runi.”</em></p><p>Wrapping her arms around his back, she pulled him down on top of her, “Funny thing, you saying that...”</p><p>He pressed a light kiss to her lips, “Why?”</p><p>Staring into his eyes, she told him, “Because it was kind of like you crawled inside my mind and listened to my thoughts.”</p><p>He couldn’t help the smile that overtook him, commenting, “Really.”</p><p>Pari’s expression turned dire as she stressed, “Oh, yeah. Very much so.”</p><p>Din took a minute just to look at her. Her fingertips touched his cheek, and he leaned down, capturing her lips. Pulling the blanket over them, Pari’s fingers trailed down his sides to skim behind the waistband of the athletic pants he had on.</p><p>His hips moved on their own accord, automatically pressing to grind against her as he nipped on the side of her neck.</p><p>Apparently, uninterested in taking her time, Pari started shoving down his pants. It was the first time they fooled around in the house's central part while not alone, and Din surfaced to look at her.</p><p>“What if one of the kids comes out looking for a drink or something?”</p><p>“We’re good; your kid crashed with my kid and Sash’s door sticks, remember?” She took him in her hand, and Din closed his eyes on a quiet groan.</p><p><em>“Lek,</em> okay.”</p><p>Grinning up at him, she gave him a healthy squeeze, “Early-alert warning system.”</p><p>“Works for me.” Gipping the sides of her leggings, Din yanked them down in one swift movement. Pari was kicking them the rest of the way off as he readjusted the blanket over them.</p><p>Taking her into his arms, he settled himself against her. Her heel wrapped around the back of his leg as she tilted her pelvis up, pressing him into the intoxicating warmth of her slick folds. She was already beautifully wet for him, wanting him, and he looked in her eyes as he pushed inside of her.</p><p>Watching Pari while he made love to her was one of his favorite things. Before that night, if he wanted to see her as he moved within her, he had been forced to watch from behind the visor.</p><p>It was six weeks ago that he had asked her to remove his helmet for him. Sitting beside him, looking past the blood that covered his face, she had pulled it from his head and set it to the side as she looked at him. Unlike any other time in his life, a feeling of vulnerability had blanketed him with suffocating intensity. Laying there severely injured and fully exposed, aside from his <em>ad, </em>it was the first time in over twenty years that someone could look into his eyes. It was the first time in more than two decades that he could look at someone without the blackout glass of the visor separating them, and his bare vision found her even more beautiful than before.</p><p>Being around others without his helmet after conditioning himself for half a lifetime to never allow that to happen, saying it took some time was a fucking understatement. Even now, six weeks later, he still wrestled against the feeling of being overly exposed.</p><p>To his ultimate frustration, he found himself struggling against that feeling the most when he was intimate with Pari, the one he trusted the most in this galaxy. It was maddening, the panicky feeling that would surface when she reacted appropriately to the raw emotions he felt when he never even spoke a word. It had been a damn battle to overcome.</p><p>Now, though, maybe it was how much time had passed or maybe it was the way they had bared their souls to each other just then—whatever the cause, Din felt the weight of that all lift and just smiled.</p><p>Pari smiled back, and he didn’t get that urge to hide within the darkness nor the helm.</p><p>Reaching back, he grasped her behind the knee and drew it up as he pushed hard into her. He watched her eyes slide closed as her mouth parted around a harsh breath. Pulling back, he felt her squeeze him from inside, and then it was his turn to close his eyes as his head dropped forward.</p><p>Pari’s hands landed on his face. He looked at her as she tipped her pelvis up to press against him. Pulling him closer, she kissed him with a kind of driving hunger, and Din released her knee to wind his arms around her. Pressing her body to his, he groaned against her mouth as her legs wrapped around his waist.</p><p>The way she breathed, the way she quickened her movements, thrusting her hips against his, the way she was staring at him like he might vanish if she blinked, he knew she was already close to her release.</p><p>Big emotions bred big passions and they’d been swapping around some pretty profound feelings. They weren’t interested in taking it slow to savor the moment. Right then, it was about purging and cleansing. Revealing the bad and soothing it with something that was just them.</p><p>Watching her, knowing that he brought her to the point where she could let it all go, that the pleasure and open softness he saw in her eyes was because of him... fuck, it pushed his own climax right to the edge.</p><p>Din bit down on her shoulder and growled as he fought it back. Twitching and pulsing inside of her, he forced himself to hold off. It worked until Pari started panting his name, then all that disciplined effort went straight out the window. Hearing her working toward her release thrust his own right back to that sharp edge where it teetered precariously. A primal desire thrummed from where he was buried deep inside her. It traveled through his veins, lighting him on fire and fueling his movements.</p><p>Pulling away from her shoulder with a breathless groan, Din looked down at her. Hooded hazel eyes met his gaze and he pressed his mouth down over her lips. Pari’s tongue met his halfway as her legs fell from around his waist. Pushing off the floor, she took in every last inch of him. The tip of his cock knocked against the mouth of her womb pulling from them a shared gasp.</p><p>Pari thrust against him again, her hands landing on his ass, pulling him against her as she shoved her pelvis up from beneath him and fucking grinding herself against him. Breathing fast, she whined as a look of pure bliss pulled against her features. She groaned his name, a flood of warmth soaked him from within as she came, and then he was fucking done.</p><p>Driving hard into her a few more times, he bit down on the side of her neck as he exploded inside of her. Sharp, intense jolts rocked through him, punching out a series of quiet grunts as his body shuddered in her arms. </p><p>Slumping down over her, Din’s breaths were heavy as she stroked over the back of his head. Her fingers sliding through the dark strands, Pari grabbed the ends as she tipped the side of her face against his. The world settled back into place, and Din drew back a little. Looking at the flushed, claiming mark he’d left on the crook of her neck, he placed a kiss over it before easing himself off her, bringing her with him as he fell onto his side.</p><p>The fire behind them had reduced itself down to a pile of dark glowing coals. The light in the room had diminished, but there was still enough to make out how she was smiling at him. Pulling her close, Din pressed his lips to her forehead. Her arms wrapped around him as she tucked herself beneath his chin. Kissing his chest, she just sighed and held him close. A perfect silence enveloped them as they laid together in the calm.</p><p>He was dragging his hand over her back, starting to slip into a comfortable doze and half-mindedly thinking of how they really should get dressed when she kissed his chest again.</p><p>“So, Kayumi, huh?”</p><p>Din stroked his fingers down her back to the dip of her bottom. <em>“Lek.”</em></p><p>She kissed his mended collarbone. “I think it’s lovely.” Pulling back, she smiled up at him. He could see the playfulness in it as she said, “It’s almost as long as he is.”</p><p>Smirking, Din tucked her back under his chin, “He’ll grow into it.”</p><p>A snort pressed against his chest. “Not very quickly if he’s still this small at fifty-one.”</p><p>He couldn’t help the grin, “True.”</p><p>Pari hummed. It was a happy, contented sound as she sighed, “Little Umi...”</p><p>
  <em>Fin.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u"> <em>Mando'a Transactions:</em> </span>
</p><p>
  <em>ad:  child (son)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>ad'ika: little one, son, daughter, of any age - also used informally to adults much like "lads" or "guys" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>aliit: family/clan</em>
</p><p>
  <em>alor: Tribe leader</em>
</p><p>
  <em>ba’vodu: uncle/aunt</em>
</p><p>
  <em>beroya: bounty hunter</em>
</p><p>
  <em>buir'e: parents</em>
</p><p>
  <em>buir: dad/mom</em>
</p><p>
  <em>beskar'gam: armor</em>
</p><p>
  <em>gal:  ale/beer</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elek: yes</em>
</p><p>
  <em>lek: yeah</em>
</p><p>
  <em>ner runi: my soul (poetic)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>vod: brother/sister</em>
</p><p>
  
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